Dealing With Rejection and Turning That No Into A “Try Again”

Last week, I spent two entire days at the #WeAllGrow Blogger Summit in Long Beach. This was the second time the annual conference would be taking place, and it was my first time attending.

“I like to call this more of a retreat than a conference,” words I heard from another blogger.

True? Looking back, I can confirm it.

Now, while much was shared and a lot was learned, it was listening to a keynote’s speech and a panel moderated by her that I felt moved, inspired, and relieved.

The topic of discussion was rejection.

Was I alone? Absolutely not. For the next hour, “blogueras” listened, questioned, expressed, and shared. See, bloggers are pretty much entrepreneurs and business owners. The word “no” is something we’re all too familiar with. Some don’t see bloggers as professional writers or journalists, I say we’re all storytellers. We all have a different voice, a different outlet, and while we’re all trying to reach a specific audience, we often face rejection for years or months before we ever receive a “yes”.

Rejection is an extremely difficult thing to deal with, at the end of the day, we’re all human.

With that said, I’ve gathered some notes from what I found most inspiring in hopes that you will begin looking at rejection as only a challenge, an opportunity, and not a closed-door.

“No means not right now”

Have you come across the phrase, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”? We can all discuss patience, but we all know how tough it really is to wait. However, at many times we have to grow and flourish before we can be ready for that one opportunity. When you get that no, take is a “not right now” instead.

“Don’t take a ‘no’ personally…be patient and prepared”

Easier said than done, right? When I started off in the journalism field and as a blogger, I shed tears every time I wasn’t offered that job I wanted or that campaign I thought I was perfect for. Now, I take every no as a challenge; maybe I need to better prepare myself, am I working hard enough? Ask yourself these questions and never take it personally.

“You have to be eternally patient for anything you want to achieve”

I am a strong believer in fate; I would have never started blogging if I hadn’t been told that I needed more experience writing. I would have never sought out a blogging community and I would have never met all the amazing women that I have. When our grandmother says, “lo bueno toma tiempo”… she might just be right.

“Embrace fear, let it out, fear is your friend”

Anything that is outside of our comfort zone is a bit scary, but anything that is out of our comfort zone will help us grow. Some of the most confident, talented and successful people I know embody fear. One of my good friends is a TV reporter, I remember asking her a few years back if she still got nervous (she had years of experience); she said, “The day I stop feeling nervous is the day I quit my job”. Think about it.

“Don’t be afraid of the follow-up, and pitch another idea. Turn one yes, into more”

Follow-up emails are scary, if you’re lucky you will receive a response, usually that will be a “not this time around”. Whatever the case might be, you NEED to send that follow-up email, regardless of the situation. Show your interest; you might get a “yes”, and that “yes”might just be your ticket in.